Near Barnstaple test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 7 roundabouts, 16 turns and 8 signalled junctions across 25 navigation steps.
This is an independent 23.5 km practice route near Barnstaple test centre, taking roughly 35 min to drive. It is NOT an official DVSA examiner route, the DVSA does not publish those, but it uses the same local roads and junction types an examiner is likely to choose.
Along the way you'll meet Mermaid Cross, Lake Roundabout and Longbridge Roundabout. Knowing the approach, lane and exit at each one before you arrive is the difference between a planned manoeuvre and a last-second reaction, and last-second reactions are where avoidable faults come from.
On this route you’ll practise multiple roundabouts, national-speed roads, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads and sustained concentration. Driving it a few times before your test builds the muscle memory that frees up attention for observation and decision-making on the day.
The loop is anchored by 20 catalogued landmarks, including shops, named junctions, pubs and churches, so you can navigate it from recognisable features rather than a memorised turn list. Rehearsing it in this way means that on test day the area already feels familiar, and your attention is free for the traffic rather than the map.
Whatever the route, your practical test follows the same national shape: an eyesight check, a couple of vehicle-safety questions, around forty minutes of general driving, one reversing manoeuvre chosen by the examiner, and roughly twenty minutes of independent driving following signs or a sat-nav. Practising on roads like these is how you make each of those elements feel routine rather than new.
Treat this route as practice, not a script. The value is not in repeating one fixed sequence but in getting comfortable with the road types, speed changes and junction patterns of the area around Barnstaple test centre, so that whatever order your examiner chooses on the day, none of it is unfamiliar. Drive it a few times, focus on smooth observation and planning, and it becomes one more stretch of road you already know, which is exactly the kind of preparation that turns nerves into confidence.
If you are practising with a supervising driver rather than an instructor, take it steadily: agree the manoeuvre spots in advance, keep to a comfortable pace, and stop to talk through anything that felt rushed. And remember the basics that apply on every road, mirrors before any change of speed or direction, signals in good time, and a following distance that gives you room to react. Those habits travel with you long after the test is passed.
What you’ll actually do on this loop, counted from its turn-by-turn directions.
This route helps you practise:
Road mix
The full 90-step drive on real, named roads (about 23.5 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive northeast on Benning Court.
Benning Court23 m
Turn right onto Riverside Road.
Riverside Road324 m
Turn left onto Pilland Way.
Pilland Way293 m
Move right to stay on Pilland Way.
Pilland Way24 m
Move right onto Braunton Road/A361.
Braunton Road1.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Pilton Causeway/B3149.
2 m
Exit the roundabout onto Pilton Causeway/B3149.
Pilton Causeway51 m
Enter Mermaid Cross and take the 2nd exit onto A39.
Mermaid Cross34 m
Exit the roundabout onto A39.
A39488 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Alexandra Road/A39.
30 m
Exit the roundabout onto Alexandra Road/A39.
Alexandra Road518 m
Enter TA Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A39.
TA Roundabout3 m
Exit the roundabout onto A39.
A39423 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Victoria Road.
33 m
Exit the roundabout onto Victoria Road.
Victoria Road93 m
Turn left onto Portmarsh Lane.
Portmarsh Lane138 m
Turn left onto Victoria Street.
Victoria Street104 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Victoria Road.
9 m
Exit the roundabout onto Victoria Road.
Victoria Road164 m
Turn right.
113 m
Turn left onto Barbican Close.
Barbican Close8 m
Turn right to stay on Barbican Close.
Barbican Close115 m
Turn left onto Barbican Road.
Barbican Road68 m
Move right onto Summerland Street.
Summerland Street164 m
Move left onto A3125.
A312523 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A3125.
32 m
Exit the roundabout onto A3125.
A312590 m
Enter TA Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Alexandra Road/A39.
TA Roundabout2 m
Exit the roundabout onto Alexandra Road/A39.
Alexandra Road284 m
Turn left onto Bear Street.
Bear Street134 m
Turn right onto Vicarage Lawn.
Vicarage Lawn165 m
Turn right onto Vicarage Street.
Vicarage Street159 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Derby Road.
37 m
Exit the roundabout onto Derby Road.
Derby Road642 m
Keep right to take Gorwell Road.
Gorwell Road659 m
Turn right onto Goodleigh Road.
Goodleigh Road828 m
Turn right onto Alexandra Road/A39.
Alexandra Road240 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A39.
21 m
Exit the roundabout onto A39.
A39489 m
Enter Mermaid Cross and take the 2nd exit onto Pilton Causeway/A39.
Mermaid Cross36 m
Exit the roundabout onto Pilton Causeway/A39. Continue on A39.
A391.4 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Westaway Plain.
20 m
Exit the roundabout onto Westaway Plain.
Westaway Plain529 m
Turn left onto Wordsworth Avenue.
Wordsworth Avenue136 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Wordsworth Avenue.
Wordsworth Avenue136 m
Turn left onto Mear Top.
Mear Top104 m
Turn right onto Beech Grove.
Beech Grove142 m
Turn left onto Northfield Park.
Northfield Park212 m
Turn right to stay on Northfield Park.
Northfield Park58 m
Turn right onto Northfield Lane.
Northfield Lane365 m
Turn left onto Westaway Plain.
Westaway Plain367 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto North Road/A39.
50 m
Exit the roundabout onto North Road/A39. Continue on A39.
A391.2 km
Turn right onto Pilton Quay.
Pilton Quay471 m
Turn right onto Braunton Road/B3149. Continue on Braunton Road.
Braunton Road1.7 km
Make a right U-turn onto Braunton Road/A361.
Braunton Road1.1 km
Turn right onto Barnstaple Western Bypass/A361.
Barnstaple Western Bypass1.3 km
Enter Sticklepath Junction and take the 2nd exit onto Barnstaple Western Bypass/A361.
Sticklepath Junction47 m
Exit the roundabout onto Barnstaple Western Bypass/A361.
Barnstaple Western Bypass1.4 km
Enter Lake Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Barnstaple Western Bypass/A361.
Lake Roundabout145 m
Exit the roundabout onto Barnstaple Western Bypass/A361.
Barnstaple Western Bypass1.4 km
Enter Sticklepath Junction and take the 1st exit onto A3125.
Sticklepath Junction2 m
Exit the roundabout onto A3125.
A3125223 m
Turn left onto Sticklepath Hill.
Sticklepath Hill280 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Sticklepath Hill.
59 m
Exit the roundabout onto Sticklepath Hill.
Sticklepath Hill280 m
Turn right onto A3125.
A3125223 m
Enter Sticklepath Junction and take the 2nd exit onto A3125.
Sticklepath Junction67 m
Exit the roundabout onto A3125.
A3125345 m
Enter Longbridge Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Sticklepath Terrace/A3125.
Longbridge Roundabout8 m
Exit the roundabout onto Sticklepath Terrace/A3125. Continue on A3125.
A3125532 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Queen Street.
4 m
Exit the roundabout onto Queen Street.
Queen Street18 m
Turn right onto Buller Road.
Buller Road79 m
Turn right onto Bedford Street.
Bedford Street40 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Bedford Street.
Bedford Street40 m
Turn left onto Buller Road.
Buller Road79 m
Turn left onto Queen Street.
Queen Street20 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A3125.
5 m
Exit the roundabout onto A3125.
A312590 m
Enter TA Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A3125.
TA Roundabout52 m
Exit the roundabout onto A3125.
A312537 m
Move left.
29 m
Turn left onto Summerland Street.
Summerland Street129 m
Move left onto Barbican Road.
Barbican Road68 m
Turn right onto Barbican Close.
Barbican Close115 m
Turn left to stay on Barbican Close.
Barbican Close8 m
Turn right.
113 m
Turn left onto Victoria Road.
Victoria Road127 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Barnstaple · Route 11 loop. Always drive to the road and conditions you see, not the list — signs, signals and other traffic take priority.
These are the real named features along the loop, straight from our route catalogue. Use them to recognise where you are and to anticipate the hazard each one brings, not to memorise a fixed order.
Decide your lane and exit on the approach to each of these, get set up early.
Expect busier traffic, pick-ups and pedestrians around these.
Watch for 20 mph zones, crossings and children near these.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Multiple roundabouts
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Lake Roundabout, Longbridge Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Changing speed limits
Limits change across this route (30, 40, 50, 60 mph). Watch for repeater signs and adjust early, examiners mark you down for carrying the wrong speed into a new limit.
Residential streets
Narrow residential roads mean parked cars, pedestrians and reduced visibility. Cover the brake, keep your speed down and be ready to give way.
Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Devonshire Motors
Start near Devonshire Motors.
Marshall Volkswagon
Continue to Marshall Volkswagon.
Mermaid Cross
Continue to Mermaid Cross, taking the junction with good observation.
Rolle Quay Inn
Continue to Rolle Quay Inn.
Flukey's Bar
Continue to Flukey's Bar.
Salvation Army
Continue to Salvation Army.
Co-op Barnstaple Funeralcare
Continue to Co-op Barnstaple Funeralcare.
Ebberley Arms
Continue to Ebberley Arms.
Our Lady's Catholic Primary School, Barnstaple
Continue to Our Lady's Catholic Primary School, Barnstaple.
Bull & Bear
Continue to Bull & Bear.
Barnstaple Fire Station
Continue to Barnstaple Fire Station.
merlininteriors.co.uk
Continue to merlininteriors.co.uk.
Barum Brewery
Continue to Barum Brewery.
Carpet Mill
Continue to Carpet Mill.
Kings Carpets
Continue to Kings Carpets.
Lake Roundabout
Continue to Lake Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Halfords
Continue to Halfords.
Longbridge Roundabout
Continue to Longbridge Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Barnstaple Bus Station
Continue to Barnstaple Bus Station.
Golden Lion Tap
Finish back near Golden Lion Tap, completing the loop.
7 roundabouts · 19 turns · 2 sets of lights
9 roundabouts · 13 turns
12 roundabouts · 13 turns · 7 sets of lights
11 roundabouts · 11 turns · 1 set of lights
This route is 23.5 km and takes about 35 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Barnstaple test centre, not an official DVSA route.